Current Trends in Governance Support

Oliver Walton

March 2011

Question

1. Provide an overview of the current trends among aid donors in their support for improved governance in partner countries. Include an outline of the key and emerging sub-sectors or areas of focus within their governance portfolios and a summary of the outcomes and results that donors are looking to achieve in their support for improved governance, their 'picture of success'. 2. Provide information (where available) of current and projected expenditure on governance support relative to other sectors, as well as relative expenditure – both current and projected – between the different governance sub-sectors or areas of focus

Summary

This helpdesk research report identifies current trends in donor support for improved governance and provides information on levels of expenditure on governance. Its findings are based on information gleaned from donors’ websites, studies by donors, academics and research organisations, and from comments from experts and donor staff.

It is possible to identify four areas of growing focus amongst donors (either in the sense that more donors are working on these issues or that key donors are becoming particularly focused on these issues):

Anti-corruption initiatives (OECD, World Bank, EU/EC, ADB, Germany, Denmark, UK, USAID)
Governance work relating to conflict, statebuilding and fragile-states (EU/EC, AfDB, ADB, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Norway, UK, the Netherlands, USAID)
Demand-side governance work such as efforts to boost popular participation in decision-making (OECD, World Bank, UNDP, Canada, Denmark, UK)
Taxation (OECD, UNDP, AfDB, UK, Norway)